News Release

WHOI Honored as a Massachusetts Employer of the Year

17 companies honored for hiring workers with disabilities

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution was honored today by Governor Paul Cellucci as one of 17 employers in the state cited for providing "a wide variety of employment opportunities for workers with disabilities." The companies honored range from the nation's largest mutual fund to a family-owned food market and an amusement park. The Institution was nominated for its efforts to help Associate Scientist Amy Bower of the Physical Oceanography Department, who is legally blind.

Senior Scientist Philip Richardson of the Physical Oceanography Department accepted the award on behalf of the Institution from the Governor at a luncheon ceremony at Bayside Exposition Center in Boston.

The Exemplary Employer Awards are sponsored by the Governor's Commission on the Employment of People with Disabilities, Award winners were nominated by both public and private vocational rehabilitation and education agencies and selected by the Commission. The 12th annual Exemplary Employer Awards Luncheon was held as part of the Commonwealth Celebration 2000, an event marking 10 years of achievement since the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Celebration 2000 events include a career fair promoting the hiring of workers with disabilities, seminars for employers and workers, and an exhibit of the work of artists with disabilities.

"The bottom line is that it is good business to hire qualified workers with disabilities. In today's tight job market, people with disabilities are an untapped pool of able workers," Governor Cellucci said. "The Massachusetts economy is strong but to maintain that strength and competitiveness, the workplace must be inclusive and the workforce must be diverse. I encourage other bay state businesses and organizations to learn from the example set by these exemplary employers."

Originally published: October 20, 2000

WHOI is the world's leading non-profit oceanographic research organization. Our mission is to explore and understand the ocean and to educate scientists, students, decision-makers, and the public.